PRESS RELEASE
PR-039-2023
(23 February 2023, Singapore) Officials from the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC), led by its Executive Director Krishnaswamy Natarajan, made a courtesy visit to Philippine Ambassador Medardo G. Macaraig at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore on 23 February 2023.
Located in Singapore, the ReCAAP-ISC was established in Singapore on 29 November 2006 pursuant to the ReCAAP, the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. The Agreement came into force in September 2006 with 14 Contracting Parties including the Philippines. ReCAAP currently has 21 Parties.
Executive Director Natarajan conveyed his warm welcome to Ambassador Macaraig and wished him a fruitful tenure in Singapore. He also expressed appreciation to the Philippine Government for its continued support for ReCAAP-ISC, through the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) efforts in preventing crew abduction in Sulu Celebes Sea and the deployment of a seconded officer from the PCG to the ReCAAP-ISC.
Both the Ambassador and the Executive Director acknowledged that combating piracy and armed robbery is a shared responsibility among the government, shipowners and maritime enforcement agencies, as no single agency or nation can fight a crime that is transboundary in nature. They also looked forward to the continued cooperation between the Philippines and the ReCAAP-ISC in the collective pursuit of a safe and secure sea for the maritime community. (END)
